NEW CASTLE — Even though industry experts say a hotel's ability to meet market demand influences success far more than the property's historic charm, officials at a 137-year-old Seacoast resort don't discredit the impact of their building's rich past.

Since it was built in 1874, the Wentworth by the Sea has been a temporary home to countless guests, dignitaries, writers, actors and others that have helped elevate the iconic architecture to local landmark status on the Granite State's coastline.

The hotel, located off Route 1B, also has tried to maintain a high level of homey hospitality along with its destination feel, something current General Manager Frank Wetenkamp said has much to do with the Wentworth's lofty international rankings and praise.

"It's just really what it's all about for us — to be a one-of-a-kind guest experience," he said. "She deserves it. We take great pride in keeping her in the best possible condition and maintaining the history of the building."

Eerie ghost stories and colorful tales about pop culture legends filing the building's air with their music and even louder personalities also adds to the allure of the turreted, 161-room structure, although Wetenkamp said one important contributor to the Wentworth's popularity is that it's just one of 10 grand hotels left in the country.

The style — which University of New Hampshire hospitality expert Carl Linblade said is marked by high ceilings, columns and extraordinary decor and architecture, with service to match— is slowly vanishing because of the cost to maintain old infrastructure and compete against modern hotels and their amenities, said Wetenkamp.

All of these things have placed the building in special standing in the hearts of Seacoast residents, said Wetenkamp — so much so that a group of 500 individuals, led by Étoile Holzaepfel, helped save the building from demolition in the 1990s and ultimately helped end about 20 years of disuse and disrepair during the Wentworth's darkest days.

Wetenkamp said the work of the Friends of the Wentworth was the main reason why the hotel reopened in 2003 and why developers spent $30 million in the first place to renovate a grand hotel so it could exist in today's hospitality world.

He said the Friends story also adds greatly to the charm of the building because thanks to them, the building has been woven into the cultural fabric of the area and been elevated to a prominent place among the world's elite hotels.

A lot has changed over the years for the Wentworth by the Sea to be among that elite while having "the feeling of an antique hotel without being an antique hotel," said Wetenkamp, and more work is expected in the future to maintain that.

Wetenkamp said his staff hopes many of the in-progress and planned updates, like overhauls to the hotel's spa, will help the hotel continue to provide modern amenities without erasing the link to the past, which was the main goal when Ocean Properties Ltd. reopened Wentworth by the Sea.

"Our vision was to create a world-class destination on the Seacoast of New Hampshire that matched the history and grandeur of the hotel," said Wetenkamp. "I think we've gotten pretty close, and now we have to stay there. It's harder to stay there than it is to get there.

"But, she's alive and going strong. Now that she's back, I'm convinced she'll be here for another 100 years. We just want our time in history to be one of the highlights."